Gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 in women with endometriosis: a prospective observational cohort study

Vl.V. Podolskyi, Vas.V. Podolskyi, N.V. Medvedovska, С. В. Осауленко
In: GASTROENTEROLOGY · 2026 · vol. 60(2) , pp. 109–117 · doi:10.22141/2308-2097.60.2.2026.724 · W7162577069
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

Women with endometriosis experienced more frequent acute and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms following COVID-19 infection compared to controls, with endometriosis being an independent predictor of long COVID-19 with gastrointestinal issues.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-13 ⓘ

This prospective observational cohort study enrolled 100 women aged 18–45 years with surgically confirmed or clinically verified endometriosis (n=50) versus women without endometriosis (n=50), all with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within the prior six months. Acute and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms were measured using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, with additional assessments of gynecological manifestations and mental status using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, repeated at 3 and 6 months. Women with endometriosis reported a higher incidence of acute gastrointestinal symptoms during COVID-19 (76.6% vs 62.4%), and at 3 months had higher rates of long COVID-19 (42.2% vs 25.6%) and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms (35.2% vs 17.6%); multivariate analysis found endometriosis independently predicted long COVID-19 with gastrointestinal symptoms (OR 2.12), while vaccination showed a protective effect. This paper centrally about endometriosis — it quantifies how endometriosis affects acute and prolonged gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 and predicts long COVID-19 with persistent GI symptoms.

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Abstract

Background. Women with endometriosis may be at increased risk of long COVID-19; however, clinical data on the persistence of gastrointestinal symptoms after COVID-19 in this group are limited, complicating post-infection management and follow-up planning. The purpose of the study was to assess acute and prolonged gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 in women with endometriosis compared to the control group, as well as to determine risk factors for the development of long COVID-19 with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms. Materials and methods. A prospective observational cohort study was conducted with the participation of 100 women aged 18–45 years: 50 with surgically confirmed or clinically verified endometriosis and 50 without endometriosis, selected by age. All participants had a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within the past six months. Acute and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms (according to the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale), gynecological manifestations, mental status (according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were assessed. Repeated tests were carried out after 3 and 6 months. Results. Women with endometriosis had a significantly higher incidence of acute gastrointestinal symptoms during COVID-19 (76.6 vs. 62.4 %; p = 0.013), including bloating (56.3 vs. 36.0 %) and abdominal pain (45.3 vs. 25.6 %). Three months after infection, long COVID-19 was observed in 42.2 % of women with endometriosis compared to 25.6 % in the control group (RR = 1.65; p = 0.005), and persistent gastrointestinal symptoms were detected in 35.2 vs. 17.6 %, respectively (p = 0.001). Also, in the endometriosis group, worsening of dysmenorrhea (27.3 vs. 9.6 %) and pelvic pain (21.9 vs. 6.4 %) were more often recorded. In the multivariate logistic model, endometriosis remained an independent predictor of long COVID-19 with gastrointestinal symptoms (OR = 2.12; p < 0.01), along with the presence of irritable bowel syndrome, ≥ 3 acute gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and depression, while vaccination had a protective effect (OR = 0.78; p = 0.035). Conclusions. The findings show that endometriosis significantly increases the risk of both acute and long-term gastrointestinal complications after COVID-19. Targeted monitoring and prevention strategies are needed, including vaccination and early detection of persistent symptoms.

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Condition tags

endometriosisdysmenorrheairritable_bowel_syndrome

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (55)

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